From Wednesday, the All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Association (APCNGA) will start checking CNG cylinders-fitted public service, as well as private vehicles, to identify substandard and unauthorised cylinders/kits in 25 major cities in the country.

Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, Central Chairman of APCNGA told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that after failure of the relevant authorities to check the increasing CNG cylinder blasts, the APCNGA has taken up the task to minimise the mishaps.

He said that substandard, unauthorised CNG cylinders and kits installation cause blasts.

Hence, APNCNGA has decided to voluntarily establish checking centres in 25 big cities so that the precious human lives could be saved.

He said that basically it was the responsibility of the government to safeguard people, but its negligence in not checking use of local, substandard and unlicensed CNG kits and cylinders had claimed over 80 lives across the country within a few weeks.

The APCNGA would arrange such facilities in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sialkot, Sargodha, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Mingora, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Karachi and Kohat.

Dispelling the impression that the use of CNG cylinders was the main reason of recent accidents, Paracha said in Pakistan over 3 million vehicles have been using CNG for 15 years, but no CNG cylinder blast occurred, adding that recently within a week as many as seven such accidents took place, due to negligence of the relevant authorities.

Lamenting the failure of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Hydrocarbon Develop-ment Institute of Pakistan (HDIP), provincial transport authorities (PTAs) and Ministry of Petroleum in checking the roadside and street workshops installing CNG cylinders and kits, he said that the APCNGA has time and again requested the government that the practice would result in destruction.

He added, "We are grieved on the loss of human lives, but CNG stations are not responsible for all these happenings.

We have told the government several times to check and stop illegal kit conversion workshops, but relevant departments did not take any action." He said: "We have not received any Ogra directive; we are in negotiations with Ogra to resolve the issue, but we have started our job to check vehicle just for the sake of saving precious human lives".